NYCC And Me! An Opinion Piece On New York Comic Con

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting recently about comic-cons considering the fact that there really won’t be any this year.

It’s a sad thought and honestly, I’m not sure what there is to look forward to this year anymore. I was so excited for New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2020 and even though it hasn’t been cancelled yet, I’m sure the announcement will come soon.

So, in order to commemorate NYCC, I’m here to write an opinion piece on my favorite convention. Perhaps nostalgia will make me feel better?

NYCC was the biggest comic-con I ever attended. Held at the Javits Center, NYCC is rooms upon rooms upon rooms of comic book sellers, merchandise booths, and events. The venue is large, loud, and full of life. Everyone there holds the same spirit as you because you’re all there for the same reason: to share in your love of comic book culture.

It seems this comic-con has everything. While some conventions are specialized for different niches within the comic community, such as The Walking Dead or superheroes, NYCC has spots for everything. Every branch of comic culture comes together here. Whether you’re interested in anime, movies, or gaming, NYCC has something for you.

Every vendor that was at NYCC seemed to specialize in something. Since my interest are Funko! Pops and Marvel merchandise, there was no shortage of booths for me to peruse. It was very interesting to see what merchandise some vendors had that others didn’t. I was even able to get my hands on a Thor FYE exclusive Funko! Pop from Avengers: Endgame for only $15, a pop that is normally near $40.

However, with a comic-con so large, it can be easy to get overwhelmed or lost. While NYCC does provide maps and floor plans, I can safely say that I was fairly confused as to where I was for most of my day. Unfortunately, the photo op and autograph areas weren’t labelled very clearly and I almost missed my Tom Hiddleston autograph session because neither me nor my friend nor even some of the staff could figure out where the room was. So if you tend to get lost like I do, really study that map and plan some extra time in your day to figure out where you need to be so you don’t miss anything.

Now, maybe this bit is me just not knowing where to look or truly just not having the time to find it, but I discovered it was quite difficult to find independent artists at NYCC. One of my favorite parts of comic-con is sifting through the rows of artists and looking for specialized pieces to buy. At NYCC, I couldn’t really find that. It seemed the show floor consisted of merchandise booths, gaming and large company booths, and comic artists. Maybe the artists I were looking for were somewhere in there but I had a tricky time locating them. From memory, I only recall a seeing a few booths along the back wall that were hosted by independent artists.

Beyond that, NYCC has consistently had great celebrity guests. At the 2019 convention, I was lucky enough to meet Paul Rudd and Tom Hiddleston, both high profile names in the world of comic movies. Truthfully, the prices for Paul Rudd and Tom Hiddleston were very high. The Paul Rudd photo op and the Tom Hiddleston autograph were around $260 each after taxes and fees while the Tom Hiddleston photo op was around $300 after taxes and fees. So, yeah, hefty prices.

And while each experience was amazing, the prices of NYCC are just incredibly expensive. My one issue is that the convention doesn’t factor in taxes and fees into the initial price like many other conventions do. So when you see that a photo op costs $250, it doesn’t really cost $250. It’ll be upwards of $300 after taxes and fees and with the purchase of a digital download copy of your photo. This issue also exists with entry passes. I believe the listed price of tickets was around $50 for the Thursday pass, but after taxes and fees, it came out to almost $80. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, but I definitely ended up spending way more on tickets than I anticipated.

But even with that, NYCC is awesome. The cosplayers are out of this world, the vendors have amazing merchandise, and the guest experiences are unforgettable. However, if you asked me to pick my favorite part of NYCC, it would honestly be the staff.

The staff at NYCC made the event comfortable and memorable for me. Everyone I spoke to was friendly, funny, and very willing to help. Even when there was confusion as to where I was or where I needed to go, the staff remained calm and helpful. Even the security guards were having a good time! To me, this kindness is what separates NYCC from other conventions. I’ve heard horror stories from other convention goers about staff issues at different events, and I have also had some bad experiences myself, but the staff at NYCC was the exception.

To summarize, NYCC is a blast but it’s an expensive blast. If you have the money to spend at this convention, do it. It will definitely be worth it. Just remember to read that floor map and coordinate your day accordingly! It’s a big event and trust me, you’ll want time to do everything. After all, it’s called the biggest and best convention on the East Coast for a reason.